Gem State Wire

There were less than 10 deaths with COVID-19 listed as the underlying cause reported in Idaho during the week ending Sept. 3, 2022, a decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending Sept. 3, 2022, there were 308 deaths in the state. 15.3% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 21.8% were from cancer and 4.5% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 9.7% of deaths were from Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

Studies show doctors and medical examiners may underreport Alzheimer's disease and dementia-related conditions as the underlying cause of death on death certificates, according to the National Institute on Aging.

Once infected, older adults with dementia are likely to develop a more severe and dangerous illness. The diseases which make an older adult more vulnerable to COVID-19 are age-associated chronic conditions, according to the Bright Focus Foundation.

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 3, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 27, 2022
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	67	50
Heart disease	47	69
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	20	20
Alzheimer's disease	18	15
Cerebrovascular diseases	15	12
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	14	13
Diabetes mellitus	13	< 10
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	< 10	10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending Sept. 3, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending Aug. 27, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	30	37